Posts Tagged: healthcare
Making Communities Healthier
Cross-posted with permission from Provide. “Places get healthier when the people who live in them make informed choices about what they put in their bodies, and when the communities themselves are committed to better health. Those steps improve the workforce and change how families use their resources.” Dee Davis,Speak Your Piece: Living in a fixer upper I was struck by this quote from Dee Davis, president and founder of the Center for Rural Strategies in Whitesburg, KY because it reminded me of what we believe at Provide and why we are working in rural communities to increase access to abortion. Abortion access may only be one of the health-related issues a rural woman might face in her lifetime, but it is the one she may be most reluctant to discuss with a social service… Read more »
How to Get an Abortion
Let’s imagine five years from now we lose the rest of what remains of our civil liberties and all abortions are outlawed. Obviously just because it is illegal, does not make it unwanted. So what’s a girl to do when she experiences an unplanned pregnancy? Well don’t worry; I’ve compiled a list of options compiled by our all-knowing internet. Please note this is purely satirical and under no circumstances do I suggest attempting any of these procedures. In high school I often heard girls in the bathroom talking about high amounts Vitamin C to have a “natural” abortion. This highly trusted blog says that “the vitamin C works to produce an unfavorable climate within the uterus so that the egg does not implant, or cannot maintain its grip on the… Read more »
Postpartum Cancer and The Breast & Cervical Cancer Prevention & Treatment Act, or, Two Reproductive Justice Things I Learned About By Simply Having A Conversation With My Sister
My medical history is something I’ve always been vague on. Aside from a smattering of recessive traits and bad teeth, I don’t really know what disorders or diseases to which I may be genetically predisposed. As a woman, this has always concerned me, particularly as the gap between my 20s and 30s begins to close. Not only am I becoming more interested in having a family of my own, but it’s no secret that women become more susceptible to reproductive cancer and hormone fluctuations as we age. My half-sister Christie is one of few relatives who offer clues to my medical history. A breast cancer survivor who underwent chemo, radiation, and a double mastectomy this summer, Christie has made a fairly speedy recovery – much to my relief. Naturally, I… Read more »
Cruise Vs. Shields: Overcoming Postpartum Depression
After watching the Golden Globes last night, I felt inspired to dissect a Hollywood debate that relates to reproductive justice. Everyone remember when Tom Cruise attacked Brooke Shields for taking anti-depressants to treat her postpartum depression? No matter how attractive you may think he is in his tighty-whiteys (Risky Business), it’s no secret that Tom Cruise is a little nutty – when I say a little, I’m being kind. For this reason, I usually just ignore his ranting and raving. Unfortunately, I really let his opinions on psychiatrics and postpartum depression get under my skin. Medical News Today defines postpartum depression (PPD), also referred to as postnatal depression as “a type of depression that affects some women after having a baby.” The article goes on to say that “typically, [PPD]… Read more »
Think Before You Pink: A Review of “Pink Ribbons, Inc.”
On October 17 the Women and Gender Sexuality Studies department at CSULB had a showing of a new film- “Pink Ribbons, Inc.” It was a great turn out on lower campus complete with delicious snacks. A special thanks to the legendary, brilliant, and endlessly clever Dr. Lori Baralt for hosting! (She’s a recent addition to my, “People who inspire me” list). This captivating documentary made me step back and think, “Well, damn, this situation is really messed up!” With the constant ringing of Reproductive Justice, the movie Pink Ribbons, Inc. delved into current breast cancer pop culture- you know what I’m talking about. Make-up, cleaning products, food, clothing, cars, and even products that contain carcinogenic chemicals- everything seems to wear a pink ribbon at some time or another for this… Read more »
Film Review: The Business of Being Born
I learn more from watching Netflix documentaries than I do at college. Recently my mind has been completely blown by the film The Business of Being Born . If you have a uterus, penis, or anything in between- I strongly recommend you view this film. This film leads the viewer through the process of contemporary childbirth — something society seemingly has under control. Through this film’s exploration of the hospitalized state of childbirth, an incredible number of injustices were unveiled. Until today I never questioned childbirth taking place in a hospital — it’s a social norm. This film opened my eyes to the organic, natural, spiritual, psychedelic, and extraordinary experience birth was designed to be — and how “Western Medicine” has successfully taken this right of passage away from the modern woman. This… Read more »
My Rights are Everyone’s Rights: Five Reasons Why Queers Should Give a Damn About Reproductive Justice
It’s a common question in LGBTQIA groups: Why hop on the reproductive justice bandwagon when I don’t need birth control? Homosexuals cannot even have kids. Remind me what this has to do with us again? Why is this our responsibility? As gender and sexual minorities (GSMs), we’re skeptical. I know I was. As humans, we are highly connected to one another’s oppression. We all have mothers, sisters, and female-identified friends whose rights to healthcare and liberty are constantly being challenged. Additionally, as LGBTQIA individuals, we have unique experiences with the way systems of oppression work. Knowing what we know alone is a call to action. To quote the feminist poet Emma Lazarus, “Until we are all free, we are none of us free.” We at Choice USA believe that reproductive justice… Read more »
